Lesson 1: If you get a ticket, you call in, plead not-guilty over the phone and schedule a court date. Always. The worst that can happen is you come in, judge is an ass and just makes you pay the regular fine.

Lesson 2: When you show up, you ask to talk to the prosecutor (ask for private prosecutor conference).

There you tell them that you are really sorry and that you would appreciate prosecutor's help. What they will do 99% of the time is reduce your charge to a lesser one (usually a non-driving-violation), in exchange for about 1.5x higher fine and $xx court fee.

You will get lesser amount of DMV points which will save you money in the long run on insurance as well as keep you safe(r) from license suspensions.

If worst comes to worst you could always argue your case - remember, you are innocent until proven guilty, so it's on them to prove you actually were going faster than you were.